The leader of British right-wing political party UKIP, Henry Bolton, is being urged by senior figures from his party to choose between his leadership or girlfriend after the latter was reported to have made racist remarks about Meghan Markle, who is soon to marry Prince Harry.
Model Jo Marney, 25, is the girlfriend of Bolton, who was in last September elected leader of the Eurosceptic and right-wing populist political party, United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP), Xinhua news agency reported on Monday.
According to British conservative newspaper Daily Mail, Marney had sent a series of messages to a friend, in which she made offensive comments about Markle and black people, saying Markle will "taint" the Royal Family with "her seed" and pave the way for a "black king".
Marney later issued a statement to the newspaper and said she apologised "unreservedly" for the "shocking language" used in the messages.
UKIP Chairman Paul Oakden, 54, said he decided to suspend Marney's party membership immediately upon learning about the messages.
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Oakden told the Mail on Sunday that "UKIP does not, has not and never will condone racism".
Peter Whittle, leader of the UKIP delegation in the London Assembly, called for Marney to be "expelled altogether" for the "disgraceful remarks".
Meanwhile, British media reported that former UKIP leadership candidate Ben Walker called for Bolton to resign, accusing him of having deeply flawed judgement.
Bill Etheridge, who sits in the European Parliament as a UKIP MEP, also called for Bolton's resignation on Twitter.
Prince Harry and Markle are to marry in May, after which Markle will officially become a princess and a working member of the British Royal Family. Their engagement has been fully supported by Queen Elizabeth, Prince Harry's grandmother.
--IANS
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